My Search:
Before I get to the actual review, I just want to give some context as to what kind of car I am looking for in terms of needs and preferences. This was you'll have a better basis for how my opinion may or may not fit with your own.
With my lease on my
Saab 9-3 up in a few months, I am finally getting out to test drive the myriad of cars that are on my list as possible replacements. The car I purchase (or lease) will be my primary means of getting back and forth to work in L.A. traffic. I don't need to carry many other people in the car, so I just need it to be comfortable up front and enough space in back to hold one (or both) of my kid's car seats in a pinch. This will not be our main family car - that's what we bought our
Honda Odyssey for, after all.
I'd like a car with decent performance; although I won't be racing it anytime soon and I do live in southern CA, so fuel economy is somewhat important. As far as handling goes, I'm not the kind of driver who is looking for a car that feels "toss-able" or allows me to induce oversteer. I think the best word to describe the handling characteristics I'm looking for would be "confidence". I want a car that feels like it can handle anything I can throw at it and still stay below its limits. And I'm getting old enough that I'm also willing to give up some handling capability for a little smoother ride.
As far as interior goes, I'd like an upscale interior with comfortable seats with good support. I'd also like some advanced technology available such as Bluetooth and MP3/iPod integration. A navigation system is not necessary, nor is a super upscale 15 speaker sound package. And, as I said before, I don't need a large amount or rear seat space or a voluminous trunk.
The cars that I've selected to test drive for my search can be divided into three groupings:
Compact sport sedans including the
Acura TL,
Audi A4 3.2, BMW 330i,
Infiniti G35,
Lexus IS350, Mercedes C350, and the
Volvo S60 R. Mid-sized sport sedans such as the
Audi A6 3.2,
Infiniti M35, and
Lexus GS300. And a few other odds and ends such as the
Mazda RX-8 and the
Subaru Legacy GT (both mostly due to stellar reviews on this site) as well as the
Infiniti FX35 (which I think is one of the best looking vehicles on the road). As you can see, I plan on enjoying this go-round of car shopping.
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First of all, let me say this: I found the Mercedes C-class very frustrating. By that I mean that Mercedes has all the makings of a very good car but seems hell bent on locking buyers into option configurations that prevent all the pieces coming together. Part of this is how things are packaged at a corporate level, but much of it is also how dealers stock their inventory. This is a bit of a rant, but I think its on topic, so bear with me.
To the dealers, the C-class is only there for buyers that can't afford an E-class. I'm sure that is partly true, but there must be other buyers such as myself who want a smaller sedan that is both luxurious and fun to drive. That's why the BMW 3-series sells so well, after all. Maybe Mercedes can't build quite as good a handling car as BMW, but they handle well enough and Mercedes does have the ability to build powerful engines and attractive interiors. If they'd bring all their strengths into this car they might be able to compete better in this class. But they seem to insist on optioning and stocking in such away as to move away from their strengths. If you want a C-class 'Sport' with full leather you're forced into a drab-looking black and aluminum interior rather than some of the warmer grays, tans, and wood grains that are available in the 'Luxury' trim. And good luck finding any C350's with the standard manual transmission (which isn't supposed to be that bad from what I've read) or even with full leather seats - dealers don't stock them.
I'll touch in more detail about these things below. It's just frustrating to watch Mercedes shoot themselves in the foot. I know there's a really good car that could be assembled from all the available parts. Sigh. Ok, end of rant. Let's get to some details...
Trim Levels:
The C-class (non-AMG) comes in several flavors. You've got the 230, 280, and 350 that come with 2.5L, 3.0L, and 3.5L V-6 engines, respectively (as you can see Mercedes has broken with the name=displacement idea along with BMW). There are also two trims available: A 'Sport' trim that adds a tighter suspension, standard manual transmission (good luck finding one), and aggressive under-body moldings available for the 230 and 350 models, as well as a 'Luxury' trim which comes standard with a softer suspension and 7-speed automatic transmission that is available on the 280 and 350 models.
Exterior:
The current body style for the C-class has been around since the 2001 mode. It received some minor upgrades for the 2005 model year, but nothing major. Despite its long run, the styling still works for me and holds up well against the competition. I think the more aggressive bodywork on the Sport trim enhances the looks tremendously. From what I've read, the C-class will get a more major styling revision for the 2008 model year - something akin to the new S-class that's coming out for 2007.
Interior:
Ok, here we get to one of my rant points. The interior of the C-class Sport, while well put-together and made up mostly of high-quality materials, is rather dull to the eyes. As I stated before, on a C-class "Sport" model with full leather you can only get a black interior with the aluminum trim. (An "Ash" colored interior is available for the car with just the leather inserts.) The result is way too monochromatic for my tastes. Even the instrument cluster (white numbering with black background) doesn't add any interest to the interior. The seats are comfortable enough and easily adjusted. (Though I had a hard time remembering that the power seat adjustments were on the door. I kept reaching down to the side of the seat.) The base seats have a synthetic material running down the center with leather sides. The dealer I did my test drive at, which claimed to be the largest Benz dealer in L.A. and the second largest in the country, did not have a single C-class with the full leather interior. Since Mercedes charges you an extra $1500 for leather on the C-class they felt that would be pushing their C-class prices too close to the E-class.
The three-spoke steering wheel had a nice feel to it and had a small lever that controls the power adjustments for positioning and telescoping the wheel. The window, door and climate controls were all conveniently located. I'm not sure I like the temperature dials on the dual climate controls, though. They're analog only and I'd prefer if there was a digital readout showing the selected temperature. There was a sufficient amount of storage space up front. The cup holders on the center console are interestingly designed so that the passenger holder folds out of the driver's holder if needed - a very clever use of space.
And space is in short supply in the C-class - especially in the back seat. I could not fit my self into the left rear seat behind how I had to set the driver's seat for my 6'2" frame. It wasn't quite as bad as the Volvo S60 I tested, but it is worse than my Saab, my wife's
BMW 325, and the A4 I tested. At just over 12 cubic feet, trunk space is also on the low side for this class of car.
Performance/Handling:
The C350 is powered by a 3.5L V-6 that cranks out 268 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. At just under 3500 lbs, the engine is very able to move the C350 well. The max torque is also available at only 2400 RPM so the power is readily available to move the car off the line and accelerate through traffic. The car I drove had the optional 7-speed automatic transmission that did a good job of smoothly transferring all this power to the rear wheels. My test drive only consisted of city driving and didn't get above 45 mph, so wasn't able to get to far into the cars gearings. My entire test drive was conducted in the transmission's sport mode rather than the comfort mode that starts the car out in 2nd gear and shifts sooner. (In fact, I didn't even know the comfort mode existed until the salesperson told me after the test drive.) I would have preferred to test the standard manual transmission, but neither of the dealers closest to me (again, who claim to be some of the largest in the country - and since this is L.A. I see no reason to disbelieve them) had any in stock.
The C-class is a rear-drive car that distributes its weight at about a 55/45 split (front/back). I found the handling good but did get some unexpected tire squeals taking some corners that I didn't think I was taking all that fast. Not sure if this was a handling issue or a problem with the tires. All in all, the handling (as much as I was able to test it) felt good if not great - not too much lean and acceptable feedback. Steering effort was moderate, though the car did feel a little on the heavy side. Turning circle and braking were both very good. The ride was firm but smooth, definitely still Mercedes-like. Road noise was minimal.
Fuel Economy:
The EPA estimates for this car are 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway, which puts the C350 at about average or better for this class of car.
Reliability:
For quite a while now "reliable Mercedes" has been an oxymoron. The C-class continues this tradition. Although most of the problems are often electrical, there have also been issues with parts of the engine and transmission, from what I've read.
Safety:
The C350 earned 4 star front and 5 star side ratings from NHTSA. In IIHS testing it earns a good frontal, average side, and marginal rear impact rating. There seems to be some conflict there in relation to the front and side impact ratings, but needless to say, the C-class has good safety, if not great. Currently the best rated cars in this class are the Saab 9-3, Subaru Legacy, and Audi A4.
Summary:
Again, the whole C-class experience has been a little frustrating to me. There some good aspects to this car but, in the end, the lackluster interior design, limited manual availability, and poor reliability record put it out of contention.
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